


Take Care

by cathrheas



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, Praise Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Soft Dom Hilda, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:02:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26237575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathrheas/pseuds/cathrheas
Summary: During a chance encounter in the stables, Marianne gets some well-needed R&R.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Comments: 4
Kudos: 123





	Take Care

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here's my piece for the [Fodlan Secrets](https://twitter.com/fodlansecrets) zine! This was done in collaboration with [MidnightSinner. Please check out their works! :)](https://twitter.com/midnightsinner5)

If it were just a little bit warmer, Marianne would have been sweating, but the weather was perfect for a stable day. Whenever she felt the slightest bit overheated, the wind would blow, usually bringing a strand of horse hair into her face. It wasn’t like she minded, or anything—she knew the stables could get messy, sometimes with things much worse than horse hair. Even if she’d ended up in a mess of horse plop, though, she would have been glad just to be in the stables.

Marianne rested her hand on Dorte’s muzzle. He exhaled through his nose, tickling her wrist. She’d hardly had time for simple pleasures like that, just going to the stables and spending time with the animals. Really, she’d hardly had time for  _ anything _ besides helping out with monastery renovations and attending strategy meetings. But the weather was nice, and she had found a moment of reprieve that morning to enjoy it.

“It’s a shame I have to spend it alone, though, isn’t it?” Dorte exhaled again, stamped the dirt with his hoof. “Oh, sorry, Dorte! You’re great company and all, I just...”

Dorte calmed down a bit, looking up with big, wet eyes. It felt like he was saying “it’s okay, Marianne”, which was something he said often. He was mostly a listener, though, looking at Marianne with attentive eyes as she rambled on about whatever bothered her.

“I just miss Hilda,” Marianne finished. Dorte blinked, long and slow. “We hardly spoke for five years, and then we came back to the monastery just to be launched into a war...it’s so unfair. But I can’t just ask her to spend time with me, right? That’d be weird.” Marianne reached into the basket at her feet—she’d procured a few sugar cubes, a delicacy in wartime. “Alright. Enough whining. I can’t do anything, so I might as well just keep moving...here, Dorte. For being a good listener. I’ve bragged about Hilda so much to you, huh? I hope you’re not getting jealous.”

Dorte graciously took the sugar cubes from Marianne’s hand, and she smiled down at him. Again, she tried to read his eyes, his mind. Maybe he was saying, “don’t worry, I like hearing you blather on about your unrequited crush”. Or perhaps, “just tell her how you feel”. But both of those were rather embarrassing to think about, so she decided that he was saying, “thank you for the sugar cubes”.

“I’ve been working pretty hard, lately. She has, too. More than I thought she would...not like she’s not a hard worker! She just doesn’t like to,” Marianne explained. Dorte’s head lifted, then dropped, then lifted again—perhaps he was nodding. “But she’s been putting so much thought and work into the war effort, and I can’t help feeling useless. I’m trying to do my best, just to help out and not get down on myself, but I really want to impress her...” Marianne paused. “But, I guess I’m not doing that by standing around here, am I?”

It was fun to laze around the stables, but there was definitely something around the monastery that Marianne could help with. With a heavy heart, she picked up her basket and moved to the exit of the stables. As she rounded the corner, though, she caught a whiff of a familiar perfume, right before running head-first—literally—into Hilda.

Marianne squealed in surprise, nearly letting her basket slip out of her grip, but Hilda didn’t seem too shocked. “What an entrance, Marianne,” Hilda said, a bit teasingly.

_ Oh, Goddess. I haven’t had enough time to prepare for a conversation! _ “S-sorry! I wasn’t paying attention...I didn’t really think anybody else would be here this early.”

“Me, neither. Well, except for you. And you’re just the lady I was looking for!”

Marianne wasn’t sure what to say next. Hilda was often too kind to her, perhaps as a result of their academy days where Hilda may have come off a little harsh. As if to compensate, Hilda had a habit of slipping sweet words into general conversation. Eventually, Marianne decided to say, “Really? What for?”

“Hey, do I need a reason? I just had some downtime, and if I’m being honest, I’ve missed you! That’s all. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I heard you talking to someone in the stables, so I tried to wait a little bit for you to finish up...”

“That was...!” Marianne couldn’t exactly lie and say she was talking to a person; Hilda would easily realize that there was nobody at the stables except for them. Besides, Hilda already knew how close she got with animals. It was an old manner of hers, to lie about little things if she felt they were too embarrassing. Even if she did lie about who she was talking to, there was no escaping the fact that she’d totally revealed her silly crush on Hilda. “I was talking to Dorte. Um, by the way, wh-what exactly did you hear?”

“Ah, that explains it. I couldn’t hear what you were saying, but you were speaking so sweetly! Like you were talking to a baby,” Hilda giggled.  _ Thank the Goddess she couldn’t hear what I was saying. _ “I thought it might have been Lysithea, maybe.”

“She definitely would be mad if she heard you compare her to a baby.” Hilda laughed again, and that time, Marianne laughed with her. Goddess, she missed Hilda. She missed just talking to her, just being around her, just listening to her voice. She’d changed a bit over the years, but nothing that Marianne didn’t infinitely enjoy. Marianne wondered what else had changed about her, what else had happened to her in those five years. If only she had the courage to ask... 

“Hey, Marianne.”

Marianne’s eyebrows shot up. She didn’t realize how sweaty her hands had gotten until she felt the basket getting a little sticky against her palm. “Um, y-yes?”

“I know you might be busy, but if you wanna take some time to laze around, we can head back into the stables! It’s a little cooler in there, anyway. Under the shade. And we can take some time to catch up! And I can get reacquainted with Dorte, of course.”

Time alone with Hilda, in her favorite place in the entire monastery? Part of her wanted to say no, just because it had to be too good to be true...but why would Hilda trick her? No, it wasn’t a trick. It was real life. “That sounds nice,” Marianne said, hoping her voice didn’t betray her excitement. “It is a little warm out here...”

Hilda struck up a conversation about the weather, but Marianne couldn’t focus. Hilda had taken her hand, leading her into the stables. She went right over to Dorte, and—Hilda really  _ was _ perfect. All those years, and she still recognized Dorte without a second thought. “Hiya, Dorte! How’s, um...hm.” Hilda pouted. “This is a little difficult.”

“What? Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure what to say. I’m usually really good at chatting people up, but...horses are a little different. I have to think about what he likes to talk about, y’know?” 

“What he likes to talk about? Well...he likes to talk about some of the other horses. I let him know how they’re doing, sometimes. Mostly, I just tell him about my day, or how I’m feeling.”

“Oh, he likes to talk about you, then?”

“I-I wouldn’t say  _ that, _ but—”

“That’s easy!” Hilda turned to Dorte, rubbing his snout. “What do you think about Marianne, Dorte? Hasn’t she grown up so much?”

Marianne laughed, a bit breathless. “Hilda, seriously...th-thank you, but—”

“Oh? What’s that, Dorte?” Hilda cupped her hand to her ear, then gasped. Dorte was rather unresponsive. “You said you missed Marianne? I did, too.”

“Hilda, c’mon...”

Hilda finally turned away from Dorte, grinning. “How was that? Did he say something back?”

“Not really—”  _ Wait. This is a good opportunity, _ Marianne thought, picking at the straw of her basket. “Actually, he  _ did _ say that, um, he thinks I missed you too.”

“Did he, now? I’m glad to hear it!” Hilda looked at Dorte again, and he shook out his mane. “Hm. It looks like Dorte is saying we should definitely hang out more after all this is over. Or, maybe even before then!”

“I would love that! I-I mean, Dorte would love that,” Marianne blurted out. Even Hilda seemed a little surprised by that, tilting her head. Marianne sighed, shook her head a bit, trying to get herself together. She couldn’t freak out, she couldn’t get  _ too _ excited...

“He thinks you’ve been working too hard, though,” Hilda said.

“Oh? He...he does?”

“Yeah! Like, it’s important or whatever...” What a Hilda-typical approach to work. “But you have to make time for your friends, too.”

“That’s important, yes,” Marianne started, “but sometimes, working is the best way to show your friends that you care.”

“There are other ways, y’know. To show people that you care.” Marianne was definitely getting ahead of herself, she thought. There was no way Hilda was saying what Marianne hoped she was saying, right? So Marianne must have been imagining it. She was getting anxious, a crawling feeling that she had tried to silence for all those years. But Hilda was bringing it up again, and it was back with a vengeance. 

Marianne refused to make a fool out of herself, and if she looked at Hilda a second longer, she definitely would. “Y-yes, that’s true. Hilda, I should get going—”

“Marianne, wait.” Hilda let go of Dorte’s muzzle, taking Marianne’s hand instead. “I, um...I didn’t want to say, at first, but I heard you talking to Dorte earlier. Before we bumped into each other.”

_ Oh, Goddess. Marianne, you need to leave. Quickly. Very, very quickly. _ “I’m s-sorry, Hilda. But I just—I need to go—”

“Not so fast! I’m not upset or anything, Mari. Really. And I don’t want to embarrass you, but I don’t want to be the source of your worries, either.” Marianne thought to pull back, make up some more excuses, or maybe even make a run for it...but she had matured quite a lot over the years, and she knew that was only a temporary solution. Not to mention, Hilda’s hand was...rather nice to the touch. She held Marianne a little tighter as she continued to speak. “Why are you afraid to ask me to hang out? You know I always make time for you.”

How could Hilda even ask that? It wasn’t obvious? “I don’t want to bother you,” Marianne finally said.

As if Marianne hadn’t responded at all, Hilda forged on. “And trying so hard to impress me, working yourself to the bone? Jeez! That’s the last thing I want. You’re doing great already, Marianne. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here with us. So don’t overwork yourself for my sake, or anybody else’s.”

Hilda stepped forward, and held Marianne’s other hand, too. Hilda’s smile seemed so genuine. Reassuring, and steady, with not even a hint of disappointment or anger. She said she wasn’t upset, and said that she didn’t know what she’d do without Marianne—if all those things were true, then Marianne wouldn’t be...assuming things, if she read into the meaning a little bit, would she? 

“Thank you, Hilda. That means a lot to me,” Marianne said. She glanced at Dorte over Hilda’s shoulder. He seemed to be cheering her on, begging her to keep going. “I-I, um, I really look up to you, is all. Since you’re doing so much for everyone, helping Claude all the time.”

“Ugh, don’t say that. If you keep saying the campaign is hard work, I might just give up on it,” Hilda joked. At least, Marianne hoped it was a joke. “I look up to you, too, y’know. Honestly, I haven’t really grown up all that much, the past few years...at least, not until getting involved in the war forced me to. But you’ve changed a lot. In a good way! You’re more confident, you’re happier, you look gorgeous—I’m jealous, to be honest with you.”

“Seriously, Hilda, you’re flattering me,” Marianne said. Hilda had her hands caught, and she didn’t want to let go, so she couldn’t even cover the growing blush on her face.

“I’m not! Really, the only thing you haven’t gotten better at is taking compliments.” That much was true. Marianne knew it was rude to deny people so vehemently, but it was difficult not to. “We’ll work on that, okay? I...I want to show you that I care about you, Marianne. If you’ll let me.”

No, Marianne was not imagining it. For once, she was rather confident in herself: Hilda was hitting on her. Still, there was a slim chance that she  _ wasn’t.  _ The most telling thing was that Marianne was ready to embarrass herself, even if Hilda was just trying to be friendly. 

“I want to show you, too,” Marianne said. She waited a beat, just to see if Hilda would spare her the risk and make a move, but nothing happened.

Marianne figured that there was a possibility that she could pass a very, very brief kiss on the lips off as friendly, so that was all she did. She shut her eyes, leaned forward, and pecked Hilda on the lips. Despite how short the moment was, Marianne still caught another hint of Hilda’s perfume, and her lips got a bit sticky from Hilda’s lipstick. Even if Hilda hated her after that, Marianne would have died happy, just knowing she’d gotten the chance to be that close for a second.

Was she imagining it, or did Hilda move forward when she pulled back? Marianne searched Hilda’s face, trying to read her mind. Hilda looked...surprised. That was better than angry, at least.

“I didn’t expect you to do that,” Hilda eventually said.

“...I didn’t, either.”

“I’m glad you did.”

Marianne tensed. Could Hilda see it, feel it in her hands? “Really? You are?”

“I am. Although, it was a little shorter than I had imagined it.”

_ She’s imagined it? Oh, Goddess. I was right. I can’t believe it. She likes me. Hilda likes me! _

“Sorry,” Marianne said. “I-I can try it again, if you want?”

Hilda turned around. For a second, Marianne wondered if she was going to ask Dorte for his opinion. Instead, Hilda was looking deeper into the barn, further from the entrance, where the sun was only coming in from windows high up on the wall. The stables near there were empty. “Let’s go over here, huh? For a little privacy. Don’t want Dorte spying on us.”

“Okay,” Marianne said, her voice sounding small. 

Hilda let go of one of Marianne’s hands, but still held onto the other until she had led Marianne to the back wall of the stables. Marianne leaned against the wall, and Hilda stood in front of her. “I was imagining it a little bit more like this.”

Marianne had almost forgotten.  _ Imagining what, _ she thought, until Hilda kissed her again. It was definitely different than before; Hilda wasn’t shaking out of nervousness, and she wasn’t pulling away. Marianne opened her mouth before she could even think about it, and Hilda’s tongue brushed against the outside of her lip, as if to hesitate, before sliding against Marianne’s.

Marianne gasped, then regretted it. Would Hilda take it as a sign of protest? Thankfully, she didn’t. If anything, she interpreted it for what it was: a sign of pleasure. She wrapped her arms around Marianne’s waist, pulling her forward. Hilda’s body was so soft, but still firm enough for Marianne to lean into. Marianne gladly did so. It had been a while since anyone had held her so tightly, as if to protect her.

Hilda pulled away to speak, but Marianne couldn’t even be disappointed. As much as she loved Hilda’s kisses, she loved her cooing voice, too. “Like that,” Hilda said, grinning. “How was it?”

“Good. Good,” Marianne mumbled. Talking felt weird, with her lips tingling like they were.

“Yeah? Okay. Can I do more?”  _ More? There’s more? I don’t know if I can  _ take _ more, _ Marianne thought, giddy. She’d pass out if Hilda touched her anywhere, she knew it, but that didn’t make her any less excited to do it. “We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I just...I want to do something that makes you feel good, y’know? Even better than a kiss.”

How did Hilda speak so casually while still managing to sound so sexy? Marianne felt weak in the knees. “Yes, I-I trust you. You can...do whatever you want.”

“You’ll have to promise you’ll be quiet, okay?” What kind of sounds was Hilda expecting Marianne to make? Marianne had had a few...private moments, but she’d never considered herself loud enough to draw attention. Hilda unhooked Marianne’s shawl, tossing it aside. Then, she stepped back. “What a troublesome dress. Not built for easy access.”

“You can take it off,” Marianne said. Goddess, finally something lucky had happened to her. She was wearing a rather pretty lingerie set that day, and Hilda seemed excited to see it. She undid the ties and clasps of Marianne’s dress—it really was inconvenient, once Marianne started thinking about it—until it was pooling to the floor. Marianne stepped out of it, and Hilda kicked it away, stepping back to get a better look at Marianne. Her bra, panties, garters and stockings were all a lovely baby blue, accompanied by a white trim. 

Of course, Hilda couldn’t resist remarking on it, with her love for fashion. “Gorgeous,” she praised. Then, she chuckled to herself. “Both you  _ and _ the lingerie.”

“Ah, thank you...”

“Hmm...did you know you were going to get lucky today?” Hilda stepped closer again, her fingers running along Marianne’s bra straps. Marianne whimpered, not at Hilda’s remark, but at the intimate touch. “Kidding, kidding.”

“It’s still...sorry. I’m not used to having people look at me like this, and saying nice things like that.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not ‘people’; it’s just good old Hilda. And...Dorte, if he has eyesight that good.” Hilda’s wise cracks put Marianne at ease, even as Hilda’s hands slid down to her waist. “You’ve got an amazing figure, Mari.”

Marianne  _ definitely _ wasn’t used to compliments like that. Really, despite Hilda’s complaints about her dress, it did a good job of covering up her body, something she couldn’t help despising. But when Hilda told her she was  _ amazing, _ it was hard to hate it. “Thank you...”

“See? Getting better at taking compliments already.” Hilda meticulously rolled Marianne’s panties down her legs, and it went right into the pile with the rest of Marianne’s clothes. “This is tough. I could take the rest of this off, but you look so cute in it...what do you think?”

“Me?” Marianne was already feeling a bit bare with her dress and panties gone, but she wasn’t quite ready to show Hilda everything. It was a bit hypocritical of her, perhaps, but since Hilda had given her the option... “Oh, um, y-you can leave it on.”

“As the lady wishes,” Hilda purred. She gave Marianne’s butt a loving squeeze, and Marianne clapped a hand over her mouth to silence the squeak. “You’re already so good at keeping quiet...can you do something else for me? I want you to get on your knees, okay? Facing the wall. Trust me, it’ll be a lot easier when you’re feeling weak in the legs.”

Ah, Hilda was smarter than people gave her credit for. Marianne certainly wouldn’t have thought of that. She did as Hilda instructed her to, kneeling on the floor of the stables. Hilda sank down beside her, kissing her ear, maybe as a reward for following directions. Marianne had her hands on her knees, her fingers tapping away. “Wh-what next?”

“Now...” Hilda moved in a little closer, her hand on Marianne’s backside again. That time, it wasn’t a playful grab. It was slow, sensual, a promise of what was to come. “Now, I’m going to take care of you. Just like I said I would.”

_ Be gentle, _ Marianne wanted to say, but she found herself not being too concerned. Even if Hilda was rough with her, it might not have been that bad.

She didn’t have to worry about it at all. Hilda touched her from behind, two fingers gliding across Marianne’s outer folds. Marianne’s breath hitched, her hands curling into fists against her thighs. “Ready for me, huh?”

Hilda kissed Marianne’s upper back, right near her bra straps. Marianne had never even imagined that to be a part of her body that was sensitive. How had Hilda figured her out so quickly? 

“I’m ready,” Marianne assented. 

“You want my fingers? Is that okay?”

“Yes, I can...I want them.”

“Goddess, you sound so cute when you’re asking for it,” Hilda whispered. Her fingers sank into Marianne, two of them. Marianne was normally a little gentler with herself, but like Hilda had said, she was ready; Hilda went inside of her easily.

That didn’t make it any less amazing. Marianne arched into Hilda’s touch, forgetting her promise to stay quiet and crying out. Hilda didn’t even try to quiet her down, reaching her other hand up to squeeze Marianne’s breasts through her bra. Marianne had thought about being touched like that before, and she’d always imagined being overwhelmed and anxious, but Hilda’s presence meant too much to her for her to be uncomfortable. Her mind wasn’t focused on how exposed she was, or how new all of the sensations were. Instead, she was thinking about Hilda, and how good she smelled, and how soft and gentle her hands were...

Hilda liked it when she asked for it, didn’t she? Marianne just had to indulge her. “Could you, um—a little faster, please?”

“Faster? Hm...you’ve gotta promise to be quiet, though. Okay? Promise?”

“Yes, yes, I promise,” Marianne said, immediately, although she wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth. She’d try as hard as she could, if only to please Hilda rather than to not be caught.

Hilda obeyed—really, it felt less like she was obeying and more like she was doing what she wanted to. As her fingers dipped in and out of Marianne with haste, her lips started their own journey, planting a kiss between Marianne’s shoulder blades before travelling up to her neck. Marianne tensed around Hilda’s fingers and mouth, her eyes clamping shut. Hilda’s breath was labored,  _ puff puff _ ing against Marianne’s skin as she went. 

“Ah, would you look at that...? I got lipstick all over you, Mari.” That remark chipped away at Marianne’s composure. She cried out a bit, something that reminded her too much of a begging canine for her own tastes. “Careful. Told you to be quiet, didn’t I?”

Marianne pushed back against Hilda’s hand, silently insisting that Hilda keep touching her despite her disobedience. “I know, I will,” Marianne frantically babbled. “I’m sorry, I just...really like it...”

“I know you do.” Hilda kissed the column of Marianne’s neck, then planted another on her cheek. Really, what Marianne wanted more than anything was to see Hilda’s face, to kiss her again...but she was also too embarrassed (and too weak in the legs) to turn around. “But if someone catches us, I’ll have to stop. You don’t want that, do you? It’d be pretty bad if someone saw you like this, right?”

Oh, well...that  _ would _ be bad, wouldn’t it? “Yes,” Marianne mumbled.

“Or, maybe not. Hm...”

Hilda pulled her fingers out, the flat of her finger sweeping lightly across Marianne’s clit. “Hilda,” Marianne moaned—but was it from pleasure, or embarrassment?

“We’re lovers now, aren’t we, Marianne? If someone saw us, well...then they’d just know that you were mine. Maybe  _ that’s _ not so bad.”

“Don’t tease me,” Marianne whined. “Hilda...!”

Hilda laughed, but the low, uneasy pitch betrayed her. Was she really joking, or not? “Okay, fine. I’ll stop. I couldn’t help it, Marianne. You’re so easy to poke fun at! Don’t get all pouty, okay? I’ll make it up to you.”

Marianne had been enjoying the soft hand at her breast, even through her bra, but she wasn’t opposed to what Hilda did next, either. Those same two fingers pressed into Marianne again, and Hilda’s newly-free hand sought out her clit. Marianne gasped, the rush of air into her lungs feeling almost painfully sharp. The only thing sharper was her teeth against her bottom lip, biting down so she wouldn’t be heard.

She’d muffled herself a bit, so that made it easier to hear what was going on around her: the gentle steps of the horses, a few feet away; Hilda, trying to stifle her own noises of enjoyment; and, most embarrassingly, the intermittent sounds of Hilda’s fingers fucking her and her juices pit-pattering on the floor. Marianne was used to the feeling of shame, of looking at the dishonorable results of her actions, but she wasn’t used to it feeling so damn  _ good. _

Hilda pressed closer against her, her chin on Marianne’s shoulder. “Are you getting close? Hm? Can I use another finger, maybe?”

Not wanting to take the risk of letting another moan slip out, Marianne merely nodded—a yes to both questions that she hoped Hilda understood. Hilda hummed against her, pressing her lips firmly against Marianne’s shoulder as her pointer finger wriggled its way past Marianne’s entrance. Marianne was tight around Hilda’s fingers. She was finding it harder and harder to relax against Hilda’s body like she’d done before. It felt a bit like getting hit by thunder magic, except with none of the pain and all of the adrenaline.

Marianne released her lip from between her teeth, shocked that she hadn’t drawn blood. With a wispy breath, she sighed Hilda’s name before slumping against the wall, her hands curling into fists. Hilda didn’t need any more signs; her finger, wet with Marianne’s slick, was running tight circles around Marianne’s clit, pushing her farther and farther until it was impossible to hold onto what little self-control Marianne had left.

“Oh, Goddess,  _ please _ ,” Marianne sobbed, perhaps a bit louder than either of them would have liked. Hilda merely smiled against Marianne’s skin, her hands working overtime to bring Marianne through her climax. The self-awareness that Marianne had had before was all gone. She couldn’t think of anything but Hilda and her lovely hands, and the rhythmic pulsing in her abdomen as she met her release. She was distantly aware of how messy she’d gotten, with her juices running down the inside of her legs, but even that was of little importance to her.

_ Don’t let it end, _ she kept thinking. Then, when it became clear that that feeling was far from infinite, she thought,  _ Again, please. _

Unfortunately, she came to realize that that probably wasn’t the best idea, either. She was more than content to stay leaned against the wall and savor the feelings Hilda had already given her, though. Hilda had slowed her hands to a halt without Marianne noticing, letting Marianne have her moment without overstimulating her.

“Marianne? You okay?”

“Mm...” Marianne nodded, spacy and slow. She didn’t feel dizzy or light-headed, per se, but it felt like she was dreaming.

“Someone’s definitely going to come,” Hilda sighed, sounding frighteningly unconcerned. “I’ll help you get dressed, alright?”

“I honestly don’t even know if I can stand...”

“Don’t worry. I’ll carry you to your room. Or to mine,” Hilda chirped. Marianne laughed a bit, surprised that she’d mustered up the energy to do so. “See? I told you I’d take care of you. You earned this, Marianne. And you’ve earned a good nap to follow up.”

Marianne  _ really _ had things to do. Claude had started relying on her more as of late, since she’d volunteered to help with the war effort so often. Cleaning up the monastery, tending to the stables, taking notes at war meetings—there was so much to do.

“Don’t let me sleep too long,” Marianne insisted. 

“Sure, sure,” Hilda replied, a bit too quickly. She was gathering Marianne’s clothes off of the stable floor, shaking the dust off of them as Marianne pulled herself to her feet.  _ Huh. I guess I  _ can _ stand. _

Hilda still helped her into her clothes, not out of necessity, but out of the desire to brush her hands against Marianne’s sweaty skin a few more times. Marianne let her, although that made her realize something. “Hilda?”

“Yes?” Hilda seemed to always be singing when she spoke...what a beautiful voice, Marianne thought.

“Um...thank you. For this. I-I want to return the favor, later, when we have more time. And...some privacy.”

Hilda was adjusting Marianne’s shawl while Marianne spoke, pulling it around her shoulders neatly. “Is that so...? Alright. But if you’re going to take care of me, you better be in it for the long run. I’m pretty high-maintenance!”

“Yes, I know.” Marianne hadn’t meant to come off harsh, but she was worried she had for a moment; Hilda, however, was in stitches. “But that’s fine with me! Because I am too. Just...in a different way, I suppose. But I have your back, Hilda, whenever you need me.”

Hilda kissed Marianne again, and oh, if Marianne hadn’t been seeing stars already, she was surely seeing them right then. They both pulled away when they heard footsteps, walking towards the entrance of the stables. “Not a second too early,” Hilda smiled. “Let’s make a point of doing this in one of our rooms next time.”

_ Next time. _ Marianne loved those words. “Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
